May 3, 2023 at 2:15 p.m.
Back in the dome, Hodag softball splits games
Back in the dome, Hodag softball splits games
Rhinelander came out on the short end of another tight game with Antigo on Monday, falling 3-1 in the Hodag Dome. The Hodags' bats finally came to life midway through Tuesday's game as the Hodags knocked off the Northland Pines Eagles, 7-1.
Whether it was heading back inside after playing their first outdoor home game in nearly two years, or the fact that the games followed prom weekend, coach D.J. DeMeyer said his team did not look as crisp as it did the prior week when it won two of its three contests and nearly upset Antigo on the road.
"We've been a little sluggish this week. We have to pick it up for Friday because we can't be that way against Tomahawk or they'll beat us," he said.
Antigo 3, Rhinelander 1
The Robins jumped out to an early lead Monday night and kept Rhinelander at bay from there in a 3-1 decision at the Hodag Dome.
Makala Beck went 4-for-4 on the night. Laura Burkhart drove Beck in twice with a pair of hits and the Robins also drew a bases loaded walk with Sydnie Heinzen as they scored all three of their runs in the first two innings.
"Antigo came out hot with the bats. They're a good team," coach DeMeyer said. "I thought we came out kind of flat, as a team. We didn't have a lot of spunk it didn't seem like, to me, just flat. Maybe that's because (prom) was Saturday and the girls were tired, I don't know, but you can't afford to do that. We're not a good enough team to be able to afford to come out flat. We have to come out ready to play."
Beck doubled to start the game and, following a Kailee Krueger sacrifice, scored on a Burkhart single through the right side of the infield. Addi DeMeyer walked three of the next four batters, with Heinzen drawing the bases-loaded free pass to make it 2-0.
The Robins added to the lead in the second as Beck singled up the middle and scored on a two-out triple down the right field line by Burkhart.
"They're a good hitting team. They put the ball in play. They hit it hard. The top of their lineup is really tough. Anyone's going to have a tough time with them," coach DeMeyer said.
The Hodags collected five hits in the contest and stranded four runners on base - all in scoring position. Libbey Buchmann singled twice and was stranded on third in both the third and sixth innings. Lily Treder also collected a pair of hits and scored the Hodags' lone run, coming home from second after Kadyn Taylor reached on a two-out error in the seventh.
"We had runners at third twice, didn't come up with a two-out hit. We had a runner at second and didn't come up with a two-out hit. We had a couple opportunities," coach DeMeyer said. "We did hit some balls at them. They're a good, defensive team."
Addi DeMeyer struck out 12 and walked four in the loss. She allowed three runs on eight hits over seven innings of work.
Rhinelander 7, Northland Pines 1
The Hodags broke open a 1-all tie with a four-run fourth inning and then tacked on a couple of extra insurance runs to complete a regular season sweep of Northland Pines on Tuesday.
"We needed this win. I expected this win, but we needed this win," coach DeMeyer said.
Laney Haenel drove in the go-ahead run in the fourth. Nora Rutkowski walked and stole second before Haenel singled to left to give Rhinelander a 2-1 lead.
From there Lucy Lindner walked and Kelsi Beran drew a walk to load the bases with nobody out. After Buchmann grounded into a fielders' choice that cut down Haenel at the plate, Abigale Johnson followed with a three-run double to center to make it a 5-1 game.
Rhinelander added to the advantage from there. Treder doubled and scored on a two-out single by Lindner in the fifth. Maddi Roeser walked and came around in the sixth as Treder hit a single that got by the left fielder and all the way back to the fence.
Treder and Lindner had two hits each in the contest and the Hodags outhit the Eagles, 7-2.
"The middle to the bottom of our lineup scored our runs. That's good to see," coach DeMeyer said. "Their pitcher was a little wild. The first two innings we weren't patient enough to wait for the good strike and hit it, swinging at some bad pitches. Some of the girls made the adjustment and then we moved on from it."
Pines scored the game's first run. Savannah Satterburg reached on a two-base error to lead off the game, advanced to third on a wild pitch and scored on a Carly Huelskamp ground out. Rhinelander tied the game in the bottom of the inning as Johnson walked and scored on a two-out single by Nora Rutkowski. Roeser was thrown out at the plate on the play, trying to score from second to give Rhinelander the lead.
Addi DeMeyer struck out 11 and walked only one batter in the win. She also worked around three errors that put Eagles on base. A Huelskamp single in the third and a Satterburg single in the fifth, both with two out, were the only hits off the Hodags' ace.
"Addi pitched well. I think she had one walk and 11 strikeouts. We had too many defensive errors again. We have to work on that tomorrow and Thursday, to clean that up for Friday," coach DeMeyer said.
Rhinelander (7-11, 3-6 Great Northern) travels to Tomahawk this afternoon and will close out the regular season with games against Mosinee and Lakeland next week.
Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].
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